Projects

High System Water Tank

The City of Spokane and the Washington Department of Health have confirmed the need for a new reservoir in Spokane’s South Hill/Lincoln Heights pressure zone. The additional reservoir will ensure adequate supplies of water for drinking, indoor household uses, fire protection, and irrigation for residents who live on Spokane's South Hill.

Project Update – Oct. 31, 2022

On Oct. 26, 2022, Engineering Services conducted a public meeting for a conditional use permit.

View the presentation slides (PDF 2.6 MB) from the meeting.

Location Requirements

Water tank locations must meet the following specifications:

Location must be a minimum of one and ideally two acres
Location should be relatively flat
Location must be at an acceptable elevation (ideally 2380 or above)
Location should be near the center of the pressure zone
Location should be located within six blocks of a transmission main, and ideally closer
Top of tank must match the tops level of the other South Hill tanks

Tank Design Requirements

Water tank design must meet the following specifications:

100' in height (height requirements varies by location)
100' in diameter
50'-60' diameter base
2 million gallon capacity

What Locations Have Been Considered?

In 2020, a dozen potential site locations were identified in the South Hill/Lincoln Heights pressure zone that met the design requirements. A list of those sites, along with the selection criteria for each site, can be viewed online. Through careful consideration of public input (public meetings and surveys), the City has been able to narrow down the list of potential sites to the three most viable locations: Hamblen Elementary, 37th Avenue, and 31st and Napa. While it is not necessary to meet all site selection criteria, costs increase for each criteria which is not met. That is, the more site selection criteria that are met, the less costs that will be incurred by the City's water rate payers.

Project Survey

The City received 847 responses to the Proposed South Hill Water Reservoir public survey. Eighty-five percent of the survey respondents reside in the South Hill area.

Out of 847 responses, 476 respondents selected Hamblen Elementary as their first choice for the location of the water tank, while only 188 selected 31st and Napa as their first choice and only 183 selected 37th Avenue as their first choice. As such, Hamblen Elementary received the highest ranked choice score.

View an explanation on how Survey Monkey performs ranked choice calculations.

Thank you for taking the time to read about the project and provide us with your feedback.